“Nursing is an art, and if it is to be made an art, it requires as exclusive a devotion, as hard a preparation, as the work of any painter or sculptor...” ( Nightingale , 1868) In today's healthcare system, “quality” and “safety” are the same thing when it comes to patient care. As Florence Nightingale described our profession long ago, it takes work and vigilance to ensure we are doing the best we can to care for our patients. (Mitchell, 2008) The World Health Organization outlines 6 areas of quality that help shape our definition of what makes quality care. Those areas are; (1) Effective: Using evidence-based practice to improve health outcomes based on the needs of individuals and communities. (2) Efficient: health care that maximizes resources and minimizes waste. (3) Accessible: Timely care provided in a setting where expertise and resources are appropriate to medical need and geographically reasonable. (4) Acceptable/Patient-Centered: Health care that considers individual needs, preferences, and culture. (5) Equitable: Quality of health care that does not vary by race, gender, ethnicity, geographic location, or socioeconomic status. (6) Safe: Health care that minimizes harm and risk to patients. (Bengoa, 2006) Another factor to consider in the quality of care is patient satisfaction. There has been debate as to whether patient perceptions of their care truly reflect the quality of care. I feel like this can be seen from both points of view. The nurse to patient ratio certainly affects this, as does the acuity of patients which can vary greatly. As soon as we get on track we have a long list of "things to do" for our patients; doctors to call, test results to look for, protocol...... middle of paper ......de of sentinel events. Nursing Management, 37(5), 20.Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, (2012). The sentinel event alarm highlights nurse fatigue. Clinical Shifts, 42(3), 27-29. doi: 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000411416.14033.f5Mitchell, P. H. (2008). Defining patient safety and quality of care: An evidence-based nurse's manual. Rockville, Maryland: Hughes. DOI: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2681/Bengoa, R. (2006). Quality of care: A process for making strategic choices in health systems. Geneva: World Health Organization. Wall, Y., & Kautz, D. (2011). Prevent sentinel events caused by family members. Dimensions of critical care nursing, 30(1), 25-27. doi: 10.1097/DCC.0b013e3181fd02a0The Joint Commission. (2013). Sentinel events. Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals, retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/CAMH_2012_Update2_24_SE.pdf